[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: Fw: Trying to maximize passive solar gain without investing too much....

[Lawrence Lile]

I would definitely insulate the basement on the outside of the
structure.    Insulate under the slab, too - this is endlessly debated
but my opinion is, after doing the other way, that the earth is a big
heat sink and can absorb plenty of heat from your house.  

 

 

 

Lawrence Lile, P.E., LEED AP

 

________________________________

From: Christa Carpenter [mailto:christa at nbnet.nb.ca] 
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 8:05 PM
To: Lawrence Lile
Subject: Re: [BULK] Re: [Greenbuilding] Fw: Trying to maximize passive
solar gain without investing too much....

 

Hi  Lawrence,

 

You said " 

Distributed mass, in areas where it can absorb heat, is better than bulk
mass, in an area where it can't absorb much heat.  Lots of concrete in
the basement, if it doesn't have any South glass, won't accomplish much.
Double gyprock will accomplish more, and is an innovative approach."

 

This is interesting, but I think you missed the fact that my house is a
walkout and therefore the front (south facing) wall is exposed.  I was
planning to put in lots of windows so that the basement would have
plenty of south mass.  What I am trying to find out is - is added
distributed mass in a basement insulated on the inside apt to be better
in this case than if the basement was insulted on the outside so that I
could take advantage of the bulk mass already inherent in the design of
my home?  

 

Thanks for the advice on the heat pumps - I will definitely have to look
into them.

 

Thanks for continuing to answer my questions.  I DO appreciate your
patience.

 

Christa  

	----- Original Message ----- 

	From: Lawrence Lile <mailto:LLile at projsolco.com>  

	To: Christa Carpenter <mailto:christa at nbnet.nb.ca>  

	Cc: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org 

	Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 3:27 PM

	Subject: RE: [BULK] Re: [Greenbuilding] Fw: Trying to maximize
passive solar gain without investing too much....

	 

	 

	 

	  

	 

	>Would you suggest then that insulating the thermal mass in the
basement might cause this effect - that it might be too expensive to
heat it up if it ever did get cool?  Do you think it would be a better
investment to insulate the interior of the basement (also living space)
and add some extra gyproc instead?

	 

	Distributed mass, in areas where it can absorb heat, is better
than bulk mass, in an area where it can't absorb much heat.  Lots of
concrete in the basement, if it doesn't have any South glass, won't
accomplish much.  Double gyprock will accomplish more, and is an
innovative approach.  

	 

	 

	On the conventional heating issue - non forced air here means -
baseboards (eclectic or hydronic), in floor (electric or hydronic), heat
pumps - I have very little experience with these and don't actually know
how the heat gets distributed.  Which of these would you prefer in terms
of a 5 year turnaround time?

	 

	The way this used to work was, electric baseboard heaters were
the cheapest to install and the most expensive to operate.  In today's
topsy turvy energy market, that isn't always true anymore.  Were I to
pick the most efficient heating system, it would involve a heat pump,
either connected to forced air (very common) or hydronic (uncommon).
Radiant floor heat is all the rage, and I can tell you from experience
if this isn't installed right, it can cost a whale of a lot to run.  I
also lived in a house with hydronic baseboard heat when I was a kid,
which seemed very practical. 

	 

	I would definitely consider forced air heat pumps, they are
common, and relatively cost effective. 

		 .  

		--Lawrence